Manchester’s monthly newsletter m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r
MURMUR
issue nineteen // May 2019 m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r
Editors: Olivia Havercrof t, Nicole Peeters Huw Spencer, Tom Waring & George Odysseos Design: Lisa Lorenz Print: Team Trident Press
Illustration: Tom Walmsley Tom has his f inger in many pies! Mainly fruity ones. On drums in Fruit Tones he lives and works in Manchester. Say hello to him on 3rd May at their gig at Night People.
Get in touch: hello@murmurmcr.com m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r
SUN 05 05 Sounds From The Other City @ Regent Trading Estate Salford
Welcome to MURMUR, Manchester’s monthly guide to radical, independent & inclusive goings-on.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive extended articles, reviews on gigs, zines, places to eat & literary surprises. www.murmurmcr.com
The best bank holiday treat in town! SFTOC celebrate their 15th birthday with a new-look, one-off party taking place at Regent Trading Estate. 15 local promoters choose two of their favourite acts, each to play to 1500 people in the Salford sun. The line-up is mega as ever, get your tickets while you can. £25, 2pm - 1am
SAT 11 05 Afghan Sand Gang Document & Loose Articles @ Night People
L I S T E N THURS 02 05 The Omens — Face Manchester Collective @ The White Hotel
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IV:
Yet another Face to look forward to! The Schubert instalment a couple of months back seriously stunned us, made us shiver. Intense emotions! Even if you think classical Bach is not for you: let MCR Collective & TWH convince you of the opposite in this holistic stun. £8/10, 8 - 10.30pm
FRI 03 05 Fruit Tones w/ Slander Tongue @ Night People
Fruit Tones debut album »Natural Selection« will be out on June 7th - to keep you going ‘til then, here’s a show to sate your appetite. Support comes from frenetic Berlin-based Slander Tongue & the oozy woozy droozy The Big Peach. £5/6, 7 - 11pm
SAT 04 05 Leafcutter John + Sunda Arc @ Soup Kitchen
A unique opportunity to see longtime Polar Bear member Leafcutter John perform his new album »Yes! Come Parade With Us«, using his immersive self built, audio-visual, light sensitive interface. This is a double header with Sunda Arc; a new electronica project birthed from Norwich based alternate-jazz trio Mammal Hands. £8/10/12, 7 - 10.30pm
Join the foggy & ethereal Afghan Sound Gang for their homecoming show at Night People. Supported by our new favourites Loose Articles undoubtedly the best new band in MCR - playing their threatening, tongue in cheek, feminist punk. All working, all class. £7, 7 - 10pm
MON 13 05 Calvin Johnson @ Yum Yum Books
You may know Calvin Johnson as the main guy behind legendary Seattle label K Records and singer of Beat Happening. He’s back in Manchester for the first time in 4 years, playing tunes from his most recent LP ‘A Wonderful Beast’, on which he, FYI, collaborated with Michelle Branch (!) and Patrick Carney from the Black Keys. Support comes from SIMI and The Noh Show. £8/10, 7 - 10pm
THU 23 05 Bingo Harry & Rachel Hillary @ The Art of Tea
Beautiful melodies and soothing auras will emanate from Didsbury’s finest tea room! Bingo Harry’s melancholic psych folk serenades the earth, the sky and the sea, while Rachel Hillary’s heavenly voice and otherworldly rhythms will transport you to realms unknown. More guests to be announced. £3/5, 7.30 - 11pm
Social History
Remember May Day Though May conjures up images of spring and Morris Dancers − idyllic scenes from a mystical past − the reason it is today celebrated has more contemporary roots. May Day is a symbol of workers’ rights and the fight for the 8-hour-Day. Its origins lie in the Haymarket Affair and it has been used as a focal point by protests from anti-war demonstrations during the First World War to the Occupy Movement. Today May Day is still celebrated by trade unions, activists and people who just want to go to the park −as is their right! Enjoy the sun but don’t forget: May Day is not just a holiday it’s also a protest.
D A N C E FRI 03 05 Me Gusta: South African Special w/SNO @ Night and Day
Me Gusta’s residency at Night and Day continues in the only way they know how - with the best collabs, a rampage of music and one of the friendliest crowds in Manchester. This month they are venturing to South Africa, with some help from the inimitable SNO. If you haven’t made it to one of their nights yet we can guarantee you’re missing out - go go go! £5, 11pm - 4am
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FRI 17 05 The Beat Chics DJs @ Band on the Wall
Manchester’s finest all vinyl female DJ duo The Beat Chics take over the Band on the Wall bar to spin a wide range of funk, soul, disco, northern soul, 60’s R&B with a mix of current female fronted bangers and sassy music from around the world! FREE, 11pm - 2am
SAT 18 05 Blend x Now Wave Present: Dengue Dengue Dengue (Live) @ YES Basement
YES are at it again, hosting the fantastic Peruvian pair Dengue Dengue Dengue in their basement and bringing the rhythms of cumbia to Manchester’s dancing community. Think psychedelic bass, salsa, cumbia and dub rolled into one. Supported by the brilliant Me Gusta and Zephyr, this is set to get your hips moving. £5/8/10, 11pm - 4am
L E A R N THU 02 05 0161 Presents: MCRs Feminist & Radical History @ Eagle Inn
Join MCR’s very own 0161 crew as they present a panel of activists, trade unionists and historians (TBC) discussing the history and continuing struggle of anti-fascism and the vital role women played in the movement. This will be followed by live performances by Bratakus, Killdren, The Twistettes, Werecats and Drunken Butterfly. Limited spaces are available so grab your tickets now! This is part of the 0161 Festival, make sure you check out their others events such as: A Kinder Trespass hike and talk.
£5, 6.30pm - midnight
SAT 11 05 & SUN 12 05 Women’s Strike Assembly: National Spring Gathering @ Partisan Collective A weekend filled with discussions, debates and wholesomeness to fuel you feminist goals. Your paid tickets get free lunch and drinks supply, or bring your own and attend this amazing event for free! FREE/£10 10am - 6pm (3pm on SUN)
MON 13 05 Does Art History Matter? w/ The White Pube @ Whitworth
Please check out The White Pube: it’s a brilliant art criticism website set up by Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad aiming to subvert the rhetoric that’s common in art reviews (i.e. reviews written by boring, old, white academics). The White Pube’s reviews are funny, brutally honest and deeply personal. Watch them in conversation at The Whitworth. FREE, 3.30 - 4.30pm
SAT 25 05 Envirolution @ Platt Fields Park
Manchester’s trailblazer festival educating our community about the environment, how to fight climate change and grass-roots activism is back! This time a plant-powered GRUB extravaganza will set up its tents on site. Stalls, games, music and delicous food will make this your favourite Saturday hangout spot. FREE, 1 - 7pm
TUE 28 05 Tales of MCR’s Graveyards @ The Portico Library
Historian Steve Little will be unearthing some strange and forgotten stories from Manchester’s numerous burial sites. Delve into our city’s morbid past with stories about resurrectionists, body snatchers and the Manchester Mummy (spoiler: she was not Egyptian). £4, 6.30 - 8pm
A R T THU 09 - SAT 11 05 Queer Letters Showcasing @ Caustic Coastal
Created by Heather Glazzard, Queer Letters is a series of intimate portraits and letters written by queer people to their younger selves to inspire and encourage the next generation of LGBTQ+ individuals to celebrate their identity. After recently being featured in Vogue Italia, there’s now a chance to have a little sneak peek yourself at Salford’s Caustic Coastal. DONATIONS, 7.30pm launch start
FRI 17 05 Loosen Up Exhibition Launch @ Basement under Barton Arcade
You may not always want to remember those toilet pictures you’ve been taking over the years on messy nights out, but we’re glad Samantha
Jagger did as the result is a beautiful exhibition of photographs shot on a 35mm point-and-shoot camera in ladies’ loos — offering an intimate insight into female camaraderie and kinship. FREE, 8pm - midnight
THU 23 05 404 - Resistance in the Digital Age Preview @ CFCCA How do you take back power online when faced with growing censorship and surveillance? What are the new dynamics between online power relationships and resistance movements? Where do memes come into it? Explore the new online revolution in a new immersive film and sound installation created by RAGE collective. Inspired by the censorship method of oversaturation of information online, the exhibition uses archival footage from 1989 alongside new contemporary material to examine the changing nature of resistance. FREE, 6 - 8pm
W A T C H SAT 04 05 Agnès Varda Tribute Evening: »The Gleaners And I« @ Partisan Collective
What could be better than an evening dedicated to the late, great pioneer of French New Wave cinema, Agnès Varda? In true artistic style, a screening of her critically acclaimed documentary The Gleaners And I (2000) will be interspersed with short breaks where you’ll be able to enjoy some craft-making, socialising, or just head to the bar. If that’s not enough, there’s free popcorn on arrival! Voilà! £5/6, 8 - 11pm
THU 09 05 Saving Face: Film Screening @ Partisan Collective
Get comfy on the Partisan sofas as the Queer Cinema Collective brings you Saving Face (2004), Alice Wu’s exceptionally funny and touching drama about a Chinese-American mother and her lesbian daughter trying to balance love and social expectations. All proceeds from the door will go towards future screenings of queer DIY cinema. So make sure you grab a drink, grab a snack, and grab a raffle ticket to support the space and the Queer Cinema Collective’s project! £4, starts 6.45pm
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THU 16 05 Screening: Sorry to Bother You @ St Clement’s Church Anyone who has ever worked in telemarketing has uttered those dreadful words. Boots Riley’s dark sci-fi Sorry to Bother You (2018) offers an incisive and funny critique of the workings of American capitalism and the conflicts it inspires. Hosted by the Chorlton Film Institute, a guerilla cinema group whose mission is to bring arthouse films to south Manchester, this is not one to miss! No need to book, just turn up on the day. £5, starts 8.10pm
D O WED 01 05 MOIST Presents: Jargon Neutral @ Partisan
Start the month with this brilliant eco-conscious exhibition that uses fashion, photography, textiles, audiovisuals, sculpture & performance to dive into sustainable creativity. We’re particularly excited to hear how Gwenny Von Quint is combatting fast fashion with zero waste techniques, and to find out what foraged goods Elliss LewinTurner has on offer. FREE, 5 - 9pm
FRI 10 - 12 05 Herstories Festival @ Stretford Public Hall
A 3 day celebration of women and social change in MCR. On Friday watch Born a Rebel with following panel discussion, a short documentary charting the history of women in protest across the North of England since the start of women’s suffrage 100 years ago, and indulge in funk & soul and food from Manchester Tart Company. On Saturday, Stretford Arts Collective will be printing, stitching and sticking a live art installation. Take your chance to engage with the diverse Muslim cultures of Manchester during Arabic calligraphy drop-in sessions and henna painting. On Sunday, Stretford WI run their community cafe. Round up the day watching Bend it Like
Beckham + talk about the history of women’s football! FREE/£3/5 For times and more info check www.strefordpublichall.org.uk
W O R D WED 08 05 Bad Language presents: Disturbing the Beast @ Blackwell’s Bookshop Local literary bombasticos Bad Language bring you a special spotlighting Boudicca Press’ newest release Disturbing the Beast, a collection of radical prose by left-field female authors kicking out against patriarchy and inequality. Rosie Garland, Sam Mills and Abi Hynes will perform in Feminist Book Fortnight fashion. FREE, 7 - 8.30pm THU 23 05 PechaKucha: Liverpool @ LEAF
This edition of PechaKucha will explore the theme of »community«, with 10 speakers from our neighbours Liverpool. The audience will hear from an eclectic mix of presenters from graphic design, architecture, printmaking, zines, creative education and economic reform. Get excited for a letterpress workshop and creative writing workshop! £7/8, 7 - 9.30pm
SAT 25 05 Northern Publishers’ Fair
@ Manchester Central Library What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than strolling past rows of books and picking up gems from Northern England’s most exciting independent publishers! Some of the exhibitors confirmed are Fly on the Wall Poetry Press, Picaroon Poetry, Carcanet and Butcher’s Dog Poetry Magazine. FREE, midday - 4pm
THU 30 05 Dreaming on a Page: The Art of the 10 Minute Story
@ The Art of Tea If you need that tiny extra bit of encouragement to get your creative juices flowing, head to the Art of Tea where travelling street poet Johnny Heath will be leading a workshop on spontaneous story writing. All ability and confidence levels welcome! PAYF, 7.30 - 11pm
Social Spotlight:
Kids of Colour Kids of Colour is a platform for young people of colour to explore race, identity and culture and challenge the everyday, institutionalised racism that shapes their lives. Last month, Kids of Colour gave a workshop at the University of Manchester, revealing the systematic violence that follows children of colour through the education system: racist teachers, oppressive curriculum, and systemic issues such as the expulsion and restraining of young black boys. Kids of Colour need your support. Find out more here www.kidsofcolour.com
E A T Heart & Graft 70 Yorkshire Street Mon to Fri 7.30am - 4.30pm; Sat 9.30am - 5pm; Sun Closed Heart & Graft have been roasting coffee for some of our favourite places in Manchester for a while now. Go to their (fairly) newly opened coffee shop just on the border of Salford, for a friendly, welcoming coffee, unlimited sourdough toast for just £3.50, and taste the whole range of their delicious coffees.
Taste IT, Salford 69 Blackfriars Road, Salford Tues to Fri 5 - 11pm; Sat & Sun 3 - 10.30pm; Mon Closed Unbeknownst to Murmur, this tiny Sicilian pizzeria and gelateria has been successfully feeding Salford since 2017. Go for the pizza & arancini, but you must stay for the best gelato we’ve tasted in Manchester - seasonal flavours all year round, our highlights were white coffee, pistachio and chocolate. Mangiare per vivere e non vivere per mangiare!
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